It's More Than that...
by RobD
Summary: This is for Toki-Chan's challenge/contest thingie. While trying to console Kari, Gatomon tells her how she feels about Wizardmon...


I don't own any of the characters prtrayed in this story. They all belong to Saban, or whoever it is who created 'em. 

-Rob

Gatomon padded softly down the hall. Aside from the constant drumming of the rain against the windows, the Kamiya residence was silent. Not surprising-the apartement was practically deserted. Tai had headed off with Sora to look for T.k., and both Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya were out running errands. For once, Gatomon had free run of the apartement.

She paused in her wanderings to take account of her surroundings. The apartement was fairly large-five main rooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen-and was very clean. Gatomon was standing at the entrance of the family room, scanning it. A T.V. set, turned off for the moment, sat against the far wall. Across from it was an old yellow and blue striped couch. A large, circular rug lay on the floor between them.

The family room connected directly to the kitchen/dining area, and the kitchen led to Mr. Kamiya's study. That particular room was one of the largest, and most definitely the messiest. It had a large clear spot in the middle, but a large assortement of "stuff" was crowded around the edges. Among the mess was Mr. Kamiya's computer system-Gatomon couldn't help but stare at it. To think-eight years ago, a digi-egg came out of that computer, which eventually led to the creation of the digidestined. Gatomon smiled. Thanks to that computer, she had met Kari.

"Speaking of which..." she thoughtas bounded towards Tai and Kari's room, "...I'd better check on her."

Gatomon slowed and finally stopped in front of the door that led to Kari's room. It was shut.

She sighed. Kari didn't used to shut her door, but since T.K. had disappeared, Kari had been acting strange. Everyone was shocked of course, and worried. MAtt had nearly gone into hysterics when he found out. It had hit everyone hard, even Davis. But Kari...she seemed to just stop caring, about everyone and everything. She stayed in her room all day, never came out. She barely touched the food brought to her, and she hadn't spoken a word to anyone in over a week. She was practically lifeless-she never even smiled anymore. And that worried Gatomon.

As she pawed at the door, the little cat called out. "Kari?" She pushed the door open. 

The room was dark, with only a faint light coming from the window on the left-hand wall. Against the far wall was a bunk-bed, and on the bottom bunk was Kari. She lay hugging her pillow, with her back to the door.

"Kari? Are you okay?" She didn't stir. "Kari? Please talk to me."

The girl mumbled absently and kept staring at the wall.

"Just go 'way, Gatomon." she said, "...I don't feel like talking." Kari hugged her pillow tighter.

Gatomon placed a paw on her shoulder, speaking softly.

"Kari, please, I'm your friend. Don't be like this." 

Kari didn't answer. Gatomon grimaced, and made her way to her ear. "Kari," she whispered, "what would T.K. think if he saw you like this?" Kari's eyes began to tear up, and she bit her bottom lip too keep it from quivering.

"Talk to me Kari. Let me help."

Her entire body shook as Gatomons voice began to crack.

"For God's sake, at least look at me!" 

Gatomon was suddenly pulled into a fierce hug by the brown haired girl, tears streaming down her face as she squeezed the cat closer.

"I-I'm sorry Gatomon! I d-didn't wanna...Didn't mean...to make you sad, I just...It's just that..." Kari burst into a fit of sobbing. "..I just don't know...w-where he is...wh-what happened to him...I don't even know if he's alive!" Kari squeezed her eyes shut and hugged gatomon closer.

"Oh, God..." she wept, "...I miss him so much..."

Gatomon threw her little kitty arms around Kari's neck and hugged her as best she could.

"I know, Kari." She said gently. "...Everyone does. Even Davis. We-"

Gatomon was gut chort as Kari suddenly pushed her away and turned her back on the startled digimon.

"You don't understand at all." Kari spat bitterly. "How could you? It's more than that Gatomon. I...I..." Kari put her face and her hands and sobbed.

Gatomon stood for a moment, until comprehension dawned on her.

"Kari..." she said, practically whispering, "...you love him, don't you?"

Kari's sobs grew louder.

"Oh my God, you do!"

Gatomon laid a paw on Kari's knee.

"I'm sorry-I didn't know..."

"Of course not!" Kari yelled suddenly, glaring at Gatomon with red-rimmed eyes. "How could you possibly know what this is like? How could you know any of this crap? You're not human, you can't feel like I do! You don't-"

Kari was silenced as Gatomon's claws swiped along her cheek, forming three bright lines across her face.

"Don't..._ever_...say that...again..."

Kari stared at the little cat in pain. She was breathing hard, shaking from rage. The tips of her claws were shining from Kari's still flowing blood, and both of her paws periodically clenched and un-clenched.

"I may not be human..." she hissed, "...but I'll be damned if I don't come close. Don't you ever, _ever,_ presume to tell me that I don't feel again. That I have no emotions." Gatomon held a claw up to Kari's face. " 'Cause if you do, then I swear to God, Kari, digidestined or not, next time you'll get worse than just a scratch." With that, Gatomon hopped from Kari's bed and trotted towards the door.

"Gatomon, wait!"

She turned around. Kari was kneeling on her bed, both feet tucked under herself, one hand still clutching her cheek, and her eyes downcast.

"I'm sorry, Gatomon." she said miseably. "Please don't go. I don't know what's going on with me, and...I need someone to talk to. Please. I'm sorry."

Gatomon's eyes softened. She slowly walked back the way she had come, jumpe up onto Kari's bed, and sat next to her. 

"Alright..." she said, "...Let's talk."

There was a brief pause. "Gatomon..." Kari asked slowly, "have you ever...y'know..." Gatomon raised and eyebrow. "Have I ever what?" 

Kari cleared her throat.

"...Been in love." she finished. This time, the pause lasted much longer. Finally, Gatomon took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Kari..." she started, "...four years ago, Myotismon killed a lot of good digimon. One of them was Wizardmon. You know that." Gatomon took another deep, if shaky, breath. "Wizardmon was my best friend, my _only_ friend, untill I met you. He...he didn't care that I worked for Myotismon, or what I...what he made me do to good digimon who resisted him..." Gatomon sniffed. "He didn't care about all of that. He was always trying to look out for me, to help me. Whenever Myotismon would hurt me...he was there to help me heal. Wizardmon saw me for who I was. Me, Gatomon. Not Myotismon's servant, not as an evil digimon. Just Gatomon." Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Kari laid a hand on one of Gatomon's paws.

"You mean, you..."

Gatomon wiped her eyes.

"With all my heart." she answered. "When he died...Kari, I felt a piece of me die with him. I never got to tell him how...how I felt. And I'll never know if he felt the same way. I'll never know how things...how they might have been."

Gatomon leaned against Kari's side.

"I hated Myotismon more than ever. All I could think about was how to make him pay for what he did. How to make him suffer, like he made me suffer..." she clenched a paw. "...How to get my revenge..."

Gatomon sighed and let her paw relax. "But you know what? After Myotismon was destroyed, I didn't feel any better. All the pain of Wizardmon's death was still there...but I didn't know what to do with it." Gatomon wiped her eyes with the back of her paw. "I had to move on. I couldn't be sad forever, could I? What sort of life would that be?" Gatomon moved to Kari's lap. "So I made new friends. Found someone else I could care about. If I hadn't, Wizardmon's sacrifice would have meant nothing."

Kari stroked Gatomon's fur slowly, wet eyes half shut. "Does the hurt ever go away?"

Gatomon shook her head sadly. "No Kari, it doesn't. But it fades, over time. As long as we remember the good times, and keep our friends close, it's almost like they never left."

Kari wiped her eyes, and the corners of her mouth flickered into a small smile. "Thank you, Gatomon." Kari's digimon partner smiled warmly in response.

The phone rang, piercing the silence that had settled in the apartement, making both girls jump. After a moment, another shrill rang echoed throughout the room. Kari and gatomon looked at each other, giggled, and rushed for the phone.

They were nearly there when the answering machine took the call. Tai's voice blasted through the speaker, loud and clear.

"Get to the Highten View Terrance Bridge as soon as you can! Oh man...Kari, you're not gonna believe this....We found him!" 


End file.
